Description: Julia Roberts stars in this legal drama based
on the true story of a woman who helped win the largest
settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit. Erin
Brockovich (Roberts) is a single mother of three who, after
losing a personal injury lawsuit, asks her lawyer, Ed Masry
(Albert Finney), if he can help her find a job. Ed gives her
work as a file clerk in his office, and she runs across some
information on a little-known case filed against Pacific Gas
and Electric. Erin begins digging into the particulars of
the case, convinced that the facts simply don't add up, and
persuades Ed to allow her to do further research; in time,
she discovers a systematic cover-up of the industrial
poisoning of a city's water supply, which threatens the
health of the entire community. Erin Brockovich was directed
by Steven Soderbergh; Julia Roberts earned a $20 million
payday for her work on the film, the highest salary paid to
a female film star up to that time.

The Film:

Being the true story of a struggling single mother's exposé of a water
poisoning case, implicating the giant utility Pacific Gas and Electric,
the film has obvious antecedents in the likes of
The Rainmaker and A Civil Action. As with
Out of Sight and The Limey, though, the pleasure of
Soderbergh's approach lies not in the familiarity of the storyline, but
in his fresh, intelligent reconstruction of it. Where the film differs
from, and marks a maturation on, his earlier work is in its humanist
rather than formalist inclinations: while the glowing cinematography and
bluesy soundtrack maintain the sheen of the previous films, the focus
here is on Erin (Roberts, in her best performance to date) and her
relations with her family, lover (Eckhart), colleagues and some of the
plaintiffs whose cause she trumpets. It's a credible, magnificent
characterisation. As the brisk, concise storytelling excises the fat, so
Erin cuts through the crap. The film steers past every potential cliché,
finally redeeming not only Erin but the true life genre. Perhaps not as
purely enjoyable as the director's last two films, but a deeply
satisfying achievement.

There's also room in Erin Brockovich for fine acting in minor roles,
including Marg Helgenberger and Cherry Jones as Hinkley women with whom
Erin bonds and Tracey Walter as a slightly creepy local man who seems to
be stalking her (but who, of course, holds a valuable secret). Albert
Finney's Ed is another of the actor's familiar cantankerous types,
mannerisms and accent apparently borrowed from W. C. Fields. Jamie
Harrold offers an amusing shtick as a water-board clerk smitten by Erin;
Peter Coyote is less fortunate with the generic role of a hotshot
lawyer, one of the script's few weak links. Perhaps the best thing about
this relaxed and supremely engaging film (for my money the best work
either the director or his star has ever done) is that even its
near-fairytale resolution doesn't offer a magical transformation. When
we leave Erin, she is far richer and more successful than when we found
her, but she's just as highly-strung and nearly as neurotic. Like the
people of Hinkley, she isn't free from the consequences of American
life, but she has done what she can to take control of her little piece
of it.

Image : NOTE:The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.

Erin Brockovich
has heavy edge-enhancement
on
Blu-ray
from Universal. It appears to be high-frequency and reminded
me of how extensive it was on the same studio's
Tremors
Blu-ray.
It really tends to flatten the image making characters
(Albert Finney in capture 4 and Peter Coyote in capture 16)
look like cardboard cut-outs. The 'golden-yellow-green' hue
is still prevalent for a lot of the darker and indoor
sequences. It seems unusual to have so much manipulation
added to the visuals - it has robbed the film of its
textures. I didn't find it consistent throughout. It is in
the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and colors and flesh tones,
seem true. Like the previous HD-DVD - this uses the VC-1
encode.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

Audio :

Universal add a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track at 2630 kbps.

There aren't an abundance of effects but some minor separation is
notable. Thomas Newman (In
the Bedroom,
American Beauty,
Shawshank Redemption) does the score and it sounds very crisp in
the lossless. We also get a couple of Sheryl Crow tunes (Redemption
Day, Everyday Is a Winding Road) adding some natural flavor
to the film. Everything sounds very good. There are optional subtitles
and my
Oppo
has identified
it as being a region FREE disc playable on
Blu-ray
machines worldwide.

Extras :

The supplements
appear to duplicate the HD-DVD with 1/2-hours worth of Deleted Scenes
with optional commentary. There is also a 4-minute piece with the real
protagonist - Erin Brockovich: A Look at a Real Life Experience
and a generic Spotlight on Location: The Making of Erin Brockovich
for about 15-minutes. Then there are the usual trailers and
Blu-ray
bells and whistles (Digital Copy, UltraViolet, My Scenes ability,
BD-Live and pocket BLU App).

BOTTOM LINE: Hard to deny Julia Roberts' camera magnetism. She frequently
reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. Erin Brockovich is an
entraining film and so much of that goes to Roberts although
the supporting cast are strong. I so surprised at the level
of digital manipulation on the
Blu-ray... especially for such a, relatively, recent film. I suspect those
keen on this brand of Hollywood cinema might be
less-scrutinizing about the image. Anyway, you have been
forewarned.

Gary Tooze

May 5th, 2014

About the Reviewer:
Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film
since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was
around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my
horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out
new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500
DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my
discussion Listserv for furthering my film
education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver.
Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our
Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.